Tifwhite-78 Lupine Seed as a Feedstuff for Cattle

Extruded Tifwhite-78 lupine seed containing 9.3% ether extract, 35.9% crude protein, 5.05 kcal/g gross energy, and .068% total alkaloids constituted 20% of a lupine diet. In a soybean diet the lupine was replaced with soybean meal, soybean mill feed, and corn. Both diets were each fed to satiety to six heifers for 70 d. Initial consumption of the lupine diet was depressed, but heifers adapted readily to any bitter taste, and total feed intakes of the two diets were not different. Apparent digestibilities of the lupine diet for dry matter, ether extract, nonstructural carbohydrates, and neutral detergent fiber were 64.0, 76.1, 84.7, and 31.6%, respectively, and were not different from the corresponding 62.0, 71.0, 81.6, and 38.2% for the soybean diet. Apparent digestibility of crude protein was 8.0 percentage units less in the lupine diet; however, this was not reflected in animal performance. Concentrations of total protein, albumin, blood urea nitrogen, bilirubin, gamma glutamyltransferase, and alkaline phosphatase in serum were similar for diets and did not change with duration of feeding. Daily gains and feed efficiencies averaged .86 and 5.78 kg feed/kg of gain from the lupine diet which were not different from the .87 and 5.98 for the soybean diet. Seed of Tifwhite-78 lupine was utilized well as a feedstuff for cattle.